Passengers boarding trains without a ticket will face fines on more routes

Passengers who board trains without a ticket face being fined on more lines from next month.

Transport for Wales (TfW) says it is expanding its penalty fare zones from Monday, 9 September.

It means passengers boarding certain lines without a ticket, or without tapping pay as you go where it is available, will face a fine of double the ticket fare, or £20, depending on which is greater.

The expanded zone will affect the majority of trains in south Wales, including the Aberdare, Barry, Bridgend, Coryton, Ebbw Vale, Merthyr, Penarth, Rhymney, and Treherbert lines.

Currently, the penalty fare zone lines impact journeys between the Severn Tunnel Junction and Carmarthen, and the Shrewsbury to Birmingham line.

When the expanded zone kicks in, passengers are being advised they will not be able to buy a ticket on the train, and instead should either buy a ticket online, at the station or use the pay as you go system.

Services in north Wales will be mostly unaffected, however, the expansion will apply to the Welsh Marches line, which runs from south Wales to Manchester.

In a statement, TfW said: "From 9 September the penalty fare zone will be extended across the South Wales Metro area including Treherbert, Aderdare and Merthyr Lines plus Rhymney, Ebbw Vale, Barry and Vale of Glamorgan Line.

"The expansion also covers the Marches line which runs from South Wales to Manchester. This builds on the existing penalty fares schemes which already exist on the Shrewsbury to Birmingham line and the South Wales Mainline.

"We encourage all passengers to buy before they board using the TfW website, award-winning app or by using the best value Pay As You Go fares, where available, in addition to our ticket offices and ticket vending machines."

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